Abstract

Networks of experts facilitated by international bodies have become so widespread and influential that many see them as shaping a new world order. In a growing range of areas, the form of political rule is not one of clear hierarchy and express demands within a clearly defined jurisdiction. Areas such as standards for consumer safety, investor protection, or environmental sustainability are developed and implemented through more horizontal communities of professionals in various public-private constellations. What kinds of democratic standards should we use to assess this state of affairs? This paper presents different approaches and emphasizes a perspective which holds that democracy does not have to resemble the domestic model in organizational terms and that it can fruitfully be reconceived in the international context of expert networks.